


Friday Flower Follies

by sarahcakes613



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Flowers, Fluff, Language of Flowers, M/M, Mystery, POV Outsider, Secret Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahcakes613/pseuds/sarahcakes613
Summary: Amanda watches as Sonny receives a weekly bouquet of flowers. She knows who's sending them, but she doesn't know why.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 119
Collections: Barisi Pride 2020





	Friday Flower Follies

**Author's Note:**

> This covers Side A: Orange and Side B: Secretly Married for the June challenge.

Amanda looks up to see a familiar face standing by the entrance to the squadroom. He hovers nervously, always wary of walking in without permission. Probably the only courier in all of New York City to feel that way, she thinks. She waves him in.

“You know where his desk is.” She murmurs, one eye still on her paperwork, the other one on the large floral arrangement the courier is setting down on Carisi’s desk. It’s all roses, which is fitting, as it’s Valentine’s Day, but unusual for the holiday, they’re bright orange.

When Sonny gets in to work and sees them, his entire face brightens. He reaches into his desk and pulls out a slim volume, which he thumbs through as he looks at the bouquet. When he finds what he’s looking for, his eyes widen and he blushes furiously, pulling his phone out and tapping at it.

The flowers began arriving at the end of October. Every Friday, without fail, another bouquet is sent by courier to greet Sonny as he begins his day. There is no card, but it’s hardly necessary. Everyone knows Carisi is dating Rafael Barba, former ADA and current counsel for the Innocence Project. They’ve been dating for over a year though, which is why the recent flower deliveries have Amanda stumped.

The first ones had been azaleas, and the soft smile on Carisi’s face when he flipped through the book that came with them had piqued her curiosity, so when he stepped out to get them lunch, she’d ducked around to his desk and picked up the book. It’s a guide to floriography. She skims through it until she finds azaleas, and she understands why Sonny had looked so touched.

In the weeks since that first bouquet, Sonny has received a different bunch each week. Sometimes they’re all one type, other times they are a mixed arrangement. They range in colours, although Barba clearly shows a preference for bright sunshine colours, particularly orange.

It’s just turned spring when Sonny is attacked by a perp – a lucky shot that catches him in the shoulder, requiring a month of desk duty and physiotherapy – and the first bouquet to arrive when he returns is a small posy of colourful primroses. Amanda has to fake a coughing fit to hide her watery eyes after she looks up the meaning behind them.

They catch a case in the heat of summer that occupies their every waking moment, and some of their sleeping ones as well. Accusations fly and fingers are pointed and the web of suspects gets bigger and bigger, but all of the evidence seems to point to one man, a man who can’t possibly be the attacker because he’s been in jail for the last seven years. Rafael is called in on behalf of the supposed assailant, because the evidence that can’t possibly lead to him is also evidence that might possibly exonerate him for the crimes he’s serving time for.

No one likes to admit the regularity with which people serve time for crimes they didn’t commit, and the thick July heat mixed with the pressure from the mayor’s office to close both files weighs heavily on everyone. It isn’t the first time Carisi and Barba have found themselves on opposing sides of a case, but that doesn’t make it any easier.

Sonny is sleeping at the precinct more often than his own apartment, but when he stumbles blearily from the crib into the squadroom one Friday morning, there on his desk is a tall vase filled with vivid orange tulips. Sitting next to it is a trenta iced cinnamon dolce latte, which Amanda has already stolen a few swigs from.

He rolls his eyes when he lifts it to feel it's already lost volume, but pours half of it into an empty mug for her.

The end of October rolls back around, and there is once again a bouquet delivered by the same nervous courier. They’re delicate white flowers that give off a light jasmine scent and Sonny laughs when he sees them. He normally texts Barba to let him know they’ve arrived, but today he calls the other man.

If Amanda lingers at her desk longer than strictly necessary, well, she’s invested in the mild mystery.

“Hey, I got – yeah, they’re beautiful. They’re little white and cream - no, they’re – what did you ask them for?” He laughs again at whatever the response to his question is. “Raf, they’re orange blossoms. Like, blossoms from the orange tree. Yeah, I knew that. I like what they mean. I figured, especially today. Listen, I gotta go. I’ll see you tonight. Love you.”

Amanda averts her eyes as he hangs up, but she knows he knows she was listening.

Their day passes in as peaceful a manner as a day at SVU can, and she is just wrapping up some case notes for their new ADA when she sees Barba walk into the room carrying a large bouquet of orange flowers.

Carisi beams up at him.

“Hey, you’re early! And more flowers!”

Barba leans down to kiss him on the cheek, completely ignoring the presence of everyone else.

“I was able to get us an earlier booking at that restaurant you were talking about, the new fusion one. And I felt bad, you asked for orange blossoms and I know I got it right, but I still wanted to also bring you some blossoms that were orange.”

“Aww, Rafi.” Sonny’s eyes are soft as he gazes up adoringly at the lawyer.

Barba smiles indulgently. “Happy anniversary, mi amor.”

Carisi stands up, pulling him in for a proper kiss. “Happy anniversary, Rafi.”

Amanda looks at them, looks at the calendar on her desk. Their anniversary is in March. She knows, because it began after a belated birthday celebration for Sonny where he got drunk and called Barba before she could wrestle his phone away.

She’s about to say something when Barba reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring. It catches the light and winks a shiny gold at her. He slides it onto his finger, then reaches into his pocket and pulls out another one which he slips onto Sonny’s hand.

He glances over to Amanda, who is staring wide-eyed at their linked hands. He glares at her, daring her to say something, but she just put her hands up placatingly and stays silent. She gets it, the need to keep something private in this line of work. Her own little mystery of why the weekly flowers started is solved, and that’s all she needs to know.

**Author's Note:**

> According to the flower language website I found, the flowers Rafael has delivered to Sonny mean:  
> Orange roses: passion & desire  
> Azaleas: take care of yourself for me  
> Primrose: I can’t live without you  
> Orange tulip: understanding & appreciation  
> Orange blossoms: eternal love
> 
> Also, a bit of background I couldn't really work into the story is that after their surprise courthouse wedding, Dominick Sr tells Raf that for their entire 40-year marriage, he has brought flowers home to his wife every Friday. Raf loves it, and decides to keep the tradition going in his own extravagant way.


End file.
